Contact: Diane E. Crespy, (202) 547-2900 email@example.com
Washington, D.C., Oct. 24, 2000 - The Order Sons of Italy in America® (OSIA) has commended the U.S. House of Representatives today for passing, H.Res. 347, the Italian American Heritage Month resolution.
"After centuries of building, defending, and increasing the quality of life in the United States, Italian Americans are finally on their way to official acknowledgement of their many and widespread contributions to our country and the world," OSIA National President Philip R. Boncore, Esq., remarked.
"This is a proud day for Italian Americans and should be for all Americans, who, without the likes of such notable individuals as Antonio Meucci, the discoverer of voice transmission over copper wire which led to the invention of the telephone, and Enrico Fermi, who split the atom, might be living in a very different society."
The passing of the resolution acknowledges complete support by the House should the president sign an executive order designating an Italian American Heritage Month.
OSIA has actively supported this resolution, introduced by Rep. Michael E. Capuano (D-Mass.) on Oct. 28, 1999. It was passed by voice vote today. The Massachusetts legislature recently designated the month of October as "Italian-American Heritage Month" in Massachusetts.
The Order Sons of Italy in America®n is the largest, longest-existing, and most demographically diverse organization of Italian-American men and women. OSIA members are dedicated to preserving the Italian heritage and advocating on behalf of the country's approximately 24 million Americans of Italian heritage. To learn more about this resolution or other OSIA initiatives, please call (202) 547-2900, email firstname.lastname@example.org, or visit http://www.osia.org/public/legislative.htm.